Her Flowing Crimson hails the Advent
by thewanderingoutsider
Summary: "Bloom's untimely demise almost went unnoticed. Grieving, but unfazed by Bloom's critics, Daphne is determined to uncover what led to her sister's end, regardless of the cost to the dismay of many. But as Daphne pursues the truth, she discovers Bloom was an untapped enigma full of secrets who left a mysterious legacy to one alone. And it wasn't her." #Beloved beta storyline
1. Speculations over an Unexpected Loss

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Winx Club. This is a work written for leisure. All rights to their respective owners.**

The is a Beloved Saga beta storyline. Storylines like this come from how I work through potential plot sequences (particularly for long serials or sagas). I tend to shed a lot of ideas away while doing so, but this one of the ones that I think is good enough to be refined into a stand-alone story. This is completely unrelated to the Beloved Saga and you will get no spoilers for the actual saga as a result of reading this (maybe a couple of similar themes here and there, but nothing major). I just thought you'd be interested to know where the concept came from.

Some chapters have Author Notes. I don't like posting these throughout my stories unless I tag them as writer's drabble. But sometimes some things I write identify too well with things written by other authors, so just to keep my backside covered I'll point them out.

In terms of where this storyline would have come into effect originally, probably in the second or third planned instalment of my Beloved Saga.

**_Complete Synopsis_**_: From the first day she set foot in Alfea, the rest of Bloom's life played out in its believed entirety under the very scrutinizing and public eye. While she continued to be held up as a hero, she soon lost importance and precedence as her freed kingdom of Domino re-established herself, and her older sister Daphne was restored as the Crown Princess of Domino. As the Magical Dimension appeared to grow independent of her heroics, her supposedly close friends and even her former fiancé moved on with their lives, leaving to her to a very quiet and inconspicuous existence. For that reason, Bloom's untimely demise almost went unnoticed. Grieving, but unfazed by Bloom's critics, Daphne is determined to uncover what led to her sister's end, regardless of the cost to the dismay of many. But as Daphne pursues the truth, she discovers Bloom was an untapped enigma full of secrets who left a mysterious legacy to one alone. And it wasn't her._

* * *

**~Chapter 1: Speculations Over an Unexpected Loss~**

Let soaring Heaven

And descending Hell

Sing of her.

* * *

Stella stab-dragged the ruby-red lipstick across her lips and over one side of her face, leaving a thick smear.

_"Hello? Are you there?"_

In between surprise and disbelief, she still held the expectation what she had just been told was some kind of stupid prank.

"Bloom's…dead?" she repeated, affected with a sudden bout of lethargy.

_"You don't believe me? I'm telling you Stella…it's just…all the other students in Alfea. They're going crazy. I think everyone's going crazy right now. The news just came out of nowhere…Stella?"_

The Crown Princess of Solaria stared into her mirror. She'd just returned from her family's solstice retreat quite content and very set on creating some new fashion pieces for her latest vanity line. Mere moments ago, she had been casually chatting about arranging a get-together with all the former Winx girls, even Bloom, who she joked had become a recluse.

It was Bloom's own fault for not making an effort on her part to keep contact with any of them.

Fault.

Stella slapped her hands onto her face, dragging them down. She recoiled quickly, giving an agitated spat at the lipstick now over her hand, and tarnished further her delicately powdered face.

Just like that, she was expected to believe Bloom was dead. Bloom expected her to believe she was dead.

Stella knew she should be crying, going into mourning over the news. But it had been years since any of them had spoken to her properly. The only thing she really felt was some kind of distress …anger even.

The Crown Princess shook her head a little. The entire situation was ridiculous to say the least.

"This…this is ridiculous to say the least. Nova. She wouldn't just end up dead so…suddenly." Stella voiced her thoughts, grasping her holographic communicator.

_"Tell the newspeakers and journalists and any other royal watchdog that. It's all over the screens, and every wavelength or public communication line. People can't stop talking about it."_

"I suppose they'll all be discussing the funeral ceremonies and arrangements now." Stella sighed, picking up a cloth with her free hand to repair her make-up damage.

_"That's another thing you should know about Stella. It gets even more bizarre."_

* * *

_"I'm honestly not surprised that she's dead."_

Sounds of overdramatised shock and amusement burst from the onscreen audience.

_"Aren't you being a little insensitive considering that the Princess is only recently deceased?" _the show host asked.

_"Hardly, I'm certain that Princess Bloom has been dead for some time already long before Domino's royal family decided to roll out this announcement. I mean they can't even come up with a good explanation as to why she even supposedly "died" in the first place." _the guest speaker, a well-known royal observer, made commas with his fingers.

_"May I just draw to your attention that the palace spokesperson did confirm Princess Bloom died in her bed…sir." _another guest speaker, a representative of Domino's government, rolled his eyes.

_"And from what exactly? Her lack of attention?"_

Gasps echoed across the show room. But before the royal observer could make his point further, the show host interrupted him.

_"Apologies, but why exactly are you–"_

_"Before this whole drama happened, nobody cared about who Princess Bloom was anymore. She'd done her best to withdraw from–"_

_"Nobody cared?" _the representative glared at him._ "She's saved the Magical Dimension so many–"_

_"No. No. Listen to me." _the observer raised his voice to drown out his other counterpart's protests_ "She led the people who saved the Magical Dimension so many times. Without the other members of the Winx Club or the Company of Light, or whatever they called themselves, she wouldn't have been able to do anything."_

_"Sorry again, but regardless of what you're saying," _the show host broke in again. _"It doesn't change the fact that Princess Bloom is dead."_

_"No. But honestly, I'd been hearing rumours from some credible resources she had become increasingly disturbed in the last few years. I'm pretty certain she took her own life just to be remembered for something–"_

_"This is the problem with you observers all the time. You capitalise on what any half-wit knows is mindless gossip. Why don't you announce your theory on Domino instead of Magix if you're so willing to push that point forward?" _the representative sneered.

_"Oh I'm the one with conspiracy theories? Don't officials like you have a laughable reputation for capitalising on public hysteria with honey-worded tales? And then supressing the truth when it suits you?"_

The rest of the audience went into an uproar.

Faragonda switched the television off.

"Oritel and Marion should have known better than to let an official on a talk show. Now they're allowing room for all kinds of experts to politicize the issue."

"I don't think so, it's just the people coming up with all this nonsense and blowing it out of proportion. But I told you it was bad." Griselda said, her arms crossed. "Would you like me to follow up my suggestion on clamping down on the mindless gossip on the subject within our campus? Too many students have been using it as a convenient excuse to–"

"Griselda, just do what you have to. The royal family of Domino deserves at least some respect to be enforced during this difficult time." the Faragonda sighed, massaging her temples. With a nod, her assisting headmistress left the office.

Faragonda shook her head, imagining how much Griselda was probably pleased with herself. She knew Griselda jumped at every opportunity to tighten discipline on their students. Within reason of course.

But it was only a matter of time before the storm of speculation blew over, and life reverted back to its usual mediocrity.

She could only hope no one did something regretful in the meantime.

* * *

A strange dread hung over the capital city of Domino. And the nature about the planet's people did little to soothe the agitation. It's warm and strangely pleasant air of the deepening evening could not ease the loss.

Deep within the palace complex itself, the Crown Princess' personal servants muttered quietly amongst themselves, uncertain on how to manage the situation. As concerned as they were, they had to remain at the gates. No one else apart from the royal family was allowed in the palace crypts.

Alone in the dimly lit cavernous halls, a darkly draped figure mourned over a newly erected tomb. It was rather simple compared to the other more decorative sepulchres. But for the grieving Crown Princess, it held far too much meaning and pain for her.

Daphne stroked the hard sable her sister's grave, still trying to process how the tragedy had come to be.

She still remembered the raw dread that tore inside her heart, as a panicked lady-in-waiting contacted Domino's royal travelling party about Bloom's unexplainably deteriorating health.

And already then, events played out suspiciously. As alleged criminal bombings rocked Magix City, Daphne and her parents, who were originally on royal business there, were kept under close guard out of fear for their safety. And no matter how hard Daphne or her parents argued, the soldiers were unrelenting in letting them leave. She panicked further when they lost touch with their home planet entirely. And things only became worse.

By the time they had managed to rush back to Domino, it was too late.

Not only had Bloom died, she had been buried with apparently no ceremony. A small notice had been put out immediately at Bloom's demise, as was custom. But it wasn't until either the third or fourth announcements that her people and the rest of the Magical Dimension began to take notice of what had actually occurred. And for a short amount of time, the very people in the palace who had seen her die, lost track of where they had even prepared her body for burial. It even became disputed whether or not her sister had been buried at all.

Daphne, more than her parents was outraged. Amidst the confusion, she understandably refused to believe in her sister's demise.

It was only when her mother had come out of the crypt, supported by her father and weeping, that Daphne had little choice but to accept that her sister was truly gone.

She clenched her fists. There was no doubt in her mind that someone had manipulated events to hide the truth. And as much as she mourned her loss, Daphne knew it was her duty to search for the truth.

"Bloom, I don't understand what has happened." Daphne whispered laying a last kiss on the gravestone. "But I will not stop until I find out what…or who is responsible for this."


	2. Burned Through Memory

**~Chapter 2: Burned Through Memory~**

But seemly eyes

Ever so mortal

Have no song to tell of her.

* * *

**A week since the definite confirmations of Princess Bloom's death…**

"Lords and ladies of the court, noble warriors, esteemed guests. As king of Domino, I stand before you in acknowledgment of our continued solidarity. But as a father, I am truly grateful for your support during the management of Princess Bloom's passing."

Oritel took a moment to survey the assembly of nobles and various delegates from across the Magical Dimension. There was a lack of many notables who had once been considered close to his youngest daughter. That was not to say that none of them had made an appearance. And like making a mandatory social call, they had only stayed for the more important funeral rites and no longer.

But it was enough for the king.

"History will surely remember Princess Bloom like any other hero before her. But even as one life ends, others continue to tread their course. It falls to us to take grief and joy in equal measure. Our kingdom thrives and breathes thanks to her actions, and so with bittersweet duty we must continue to live despite the fact she has now left this world. Live to ensure the blossoming of noble dreams, to honour our allies, and secure our great realm for past, present and future generations."

Approving applause sounded across the throne room. The queen, a picture of saddened strength, rose from her throne to join her husband.

"I too share in the king's gratitude. And to celebrate our kingdom's continued existence, it is my honour to present our named scion, our revered Crown Princess…"

The court became rather silent as the lone princess approached. She had adopted a gown of grey shades swirled with midnight navy, and a face of calm emotionlessness. At least what she could manage.

"Oh, dear Daphne," her father took her hand as she ascended the stairs to the thrones. "You should not keep such shadows fettered about you."

"It is not within my power to send away, what is by permanent nature, part of my being, father." the nymph said.

"Daphne," Marion spoke softly, taking the hand her father had let go. "It is truly honourable that you treasure the ones who have been lost. But do not let your love follow those who now rest deep in the ground. The dead cannot return your deepest affections."

"You are mistaken mother. My mind is full of what the dead leave behind, and what I must do to find the truth of it and safeguard it."

The queen came closer, "Then why is it that your sister's passing appears to be so particular with you?"

"_Appears_ my queen? I have no mind for appearances!" Daphne remarked with stifled bitterness, moving away. "It _is_ particular with me. How can it not be?"

Marion gave her a look, a warning of the inappropriateness of her responses. But her father held her face by the chin, looking deep into her eyes.

"My Daphne, your love for the deceased must not come between your duties to the living. But I know you are aware of that as much as I am. I know that you are feeling the burden of your destiny more than ever before now that Bloom is gone. And it is why I would want you to stay in Domino."

"I would have you at our side as well Daphne." the queen cut in, affirming the change of focus. "You are precious to your nation and your parents as our heir and sole protectress. I pray, do not return to Alfea. I am certain that Headmistress Faragonda will understand _your_ need to relinquish your teaching position."

Daphne batted her eyelids as gently as she could. She gave a dignified huff before answering with dutiful monotony, "For the good of the realm, I will stay at your pleasure."

"Wonderful." her father, the king, smiled giving a small kiss on her cheek. "The palace administration will handle your resignation." he put his hand on Daphne's back as the queen came closer. "There is still much work to be done to stabilize the kingdom and the surrounding realms."

At that point, various people within the throne room began to approach the king and queen to either offer final condolences, or get on with discussing royal business.

Daphne watched the scene unfold for a while, before slipping away without causing much notice. She retreated to one of the small meeting rooms connected to the throne room. She looked out of the sparkling window to the sprawling metropolis below.

"Would you laugh Bloom, at all of this? At how quickly you'd become a has-been? How even are own parents are too keen to shelve you to dust and rot?" she muttered aloud.

"Surely you of all people would know that leaders must manage their grief as quietly as they can."

Daphne's eyes drifted to the reflection of the familiar blonde, sable-eyed, purple adorned fairy that had just entered the room. The princess continued to stare out the window.

"I remember when my grandsires passed away. The mourning period went on for at least a month. Both my parents were inconsolable and no one questioned their grief."

"Daphne…" the fairy came closer. "You know why they can't–"

"Don't Diletta. My parents had political issues as the time of their deaths just like Bloom did. If they can't give her a proper mourning period, they could at least give me enough time to get closure!" Daphne could feel her watery frustration flowing down her cheeks, but at this point she didn't care anymore. "I won't just burn through all the memories I have of Bloom just because everyone else has!"

"No one is telling you to forget your sister, Daph. But things are different now for your kingdom, you know that. The world isn't the same as it was twenty-five years ago."

That is when Daphne turned to face her, agitation raging in her eyes. She opened her mouth to say lash out at one of her last surviving friends, but at the sight of Diletta's stern expression she just bit her lip. An uncomfortable but understanding silence descended between the two women.

Daphne broke it, attacking why Diletta had come to search her out in the first place.

"I'm fine." she retorted.

Diletta buried her face into one of her hands. "Daphne…"

"Don't you dare worry about me that way." she growled.

"No, you–"

Suddenly the door opened, letting in the fading noise of the departing court. Daphne whipped back round, fishing out a handkerchief as another familiar old warrior entered the room.

"Diletta?" he looked surprised. "What are you…oh." he cleared his throat before continuing. "Crown Princess Daphne? Are you alright?"

The princess sniffed. "Of course Hagen, just having a moment to myself, what is it?"

"Your parents asked me to find you; they're going to make another general announcement in the main palace courtyard. You should–"

"Of course, thank you." with a slight curtsy of acknowledgement, Daphne departed from the room without another word.

Diletta made to leave as well, except Hagen closed the door behind Daphne, blocking her way.

"You've been making plenty of social calls lately, despite being the headmistress of the Golden Auditorium." he raised an eyebrow.

"I assure you, my record will never be as bad as the esteemed head of Alfea. My social calls are rarely made for pleasure's sake alone." Diletta returned dryly.

Hagen reddened a little.

"How did you know where to find us?" the fairy continued.

"Oh, a servant saw Daphne go in here, and you as well I suppose but I didn't pay much attention to that…" the old man tugged at his collar a little. "How is she?"

Diletta sighed. "I think it's fairly obvious."

"I'm asking you." Hagen became serious once again, but the fairy said nothing to answer.

"How do you think she'll move on from this?" she asked instead. The old man took a moment to consider his answer.

"Well, I'm sure it will hurt for a while. But Daphne is a strong woman who knows what she must do. She'll pull through given enough time. Always has."

"Are you really all going to be that dense?"

Hagen raised an eyebrow. "You asked for my opinion, Diletta."

Shaking her head, the fairy began moving towards the door. "This isn't the same as when she lost her family and kingdom the first time, Lord Hagen. Someone needs to keep an eye on her. She can't just sit with this loss on her own."

"Nonsense, she'll have plenty of support–"

"You know exactly what kind of support she needs Lord Hagen. And she needs some time to withdraw from her royal affairs."

At that suggestion, Hagen frowned. "Diletta, I'm going to be very frank with you. Bloom, as well-intentioned as she was as a heroine, had no grasp of what it meant to be a princess. Now given, it was probably not her fault, since she was raised a commoner. But she didn't help it, as she went against the advice of her parents and mentors and foolishly made herself into a subject of mass ridicule. Just thank the Great Dragon that Daphne is _not_ her sister. Domino cannot afford to have its Crown Princess–"

"Have you forgotten who it was that really cared for Bloom in her infancy? Or who forced her way through dreams to guide Bloom, and raise her? I'm not surprised she would feel her loss more than even her parents. And what is more, I care about Daphne. And I worry about her." Diletta said lowly, looking hard at Hagen. "And if you can only be concerned with the welfare of the realm, so should you, if you don't want to lose another princess."

* * *

The darkness of night settled once again over the capital of Domino. And all people within surrendered themselves to peaceful slumber.

Except for two.

The first was the heir of the realm, tossing and turning under the covers of her bed in her well-protected room. Unable to come to turns with her loss.

The other just accepted the loss, despite not forgiving themselves for it, and was currently fulfilling the dead one's last few wishes.

The night-watch guards patrolling the palace failed to notice a cloaked stranger pervade their walls. Although to their credit, the person had been taught the ways of the palace better than they had been.

Utilising the various hidden passageways and blind-spots, the person made their way to the palace crypts, and unlocking the gate carefully and quietly once they had gotten there.

It did not take the person long to find the newly erected tomb. And it took even less time to do what they had to. No doubt, the person wanted to leave the place, the planet, as quickly as possible.

But…

The cloaked figure put their hand on the sable slab of the sarcophagus. The person stayed there for a moment, silently making a promise of return.

Then slipped out of the palace once more.

* * *

**_Author's Note:_**_ Some more well-read readers can detect how heavily I drew from a particularly iconic scene in Shakespeare's Hamlet for the first part of this chapter. I'm just signalling it out just in case somebody chases me up…To be fair, I always dreamed of doing such a scene with a show I like to fangirl over. Oh, and sorry if I made Oritel's speech kind of try-hard…_


	3. Loss, Disposal and Retrieval

**~Chapter 3: Loss, Disposal and Retrieval~**

Still, the world moves on

Even if some cling to memory

And others work in spite of it.

* * *

"This is…if I didn't know any better, I would think that you _are actually_ handing me your withdrawal application, _Miss _Diaspro." the wizened dean of the Eraklyon Institute stared hard at the blonde woman seated before him.

"Is it really that hard to believe? I thought you of all people, would be ecstatic."

"W-well…" the old man shifted the papers again.

"Of course it is." a representative from Eraklyon's law enforcement broke in. "It's not exactly a secret that since your _collaboration_ with Baltor, you've been trying to manipulate and claw your way back up the echelons of the noble and privileged–"

"In my defence, it's been several _years_ since I committed the act that saw me stripped of my rank and family name. I do admit I have tried desperately to regain what I lost in the past. But the strenuous experience of it all made me grow up…enough to make me let it go."

The officer crossed his arms. "Really now? It's going to take more than donning some hillbilly's garb to convince me of your change of heart." he sniffed, making reference to Diaspro's simple attire.

"You should thank Eraklyon's _extremely _bureaucratic systems for inciting that change in me. And maybe even how I was dumped at rock bottom of the social hierarchy." she retorted, focusing on the dean once again. "Is there anything else?"

Before the old man could speak the officer broke in, "And why were you not so keen to go straight to the headmaster about your withdrawal? I'm sure a self-important deviant like you realises by leaving this institution, you're cutting yourself off from the only social security a traitor like you is–"

"Enough!" the dean glared at the representative. "There's no need to hassle the head of the school with this trivial matter. Miss Diaspro is doing everything by due process. The only people stirring up trouble about her past deeds is your department. And, well, the Institute has been pouring significant resources and risking its good repute letting her learn here. We're not upset over losing her." the dean was decent enough to look somewhat apologetic. "No offence."

"None taken sir."

"If you've finished blowing hot air, officer, all that is left is to validate the forms and deactivate your tagging devices."

The representative begrudgingly looked over the papers. He continued eyeing Diaspro as he activated his communications link.

"The tra…Diaspro's paperwork is in order. On-site confirmation to delete her tracking signal record."

Diaspro crossed her legs as the officer walked over to remove the tracking bracelet around her ankle. He glared even more agitatedly as he knelt down.

"Once a traitor always a traitor." he muttered under his breath as he undid the device.

"Of course." she smirked.

"I don't know what strings you pulled to get removed from the convict system," the officer continued menacingly getting up, "but if I get a whiff of foul play, you'll be going somewhere even worse than Omega–"

"Thank you officer." the dean came alongside him, shoving the paperwork into his hands. "I'm certain that you have plenty of work that needs doing. I'll see Miss Diaspro off the campus myself, good day."

The dean took Diaspro out of the room before the officer could say anything else. When they were far enough from the office, he muttered, "Bureaucrats."

The young woman smiled a little, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Is there something wrong?" the old man raised an eyebrow.

"No. Just, freedom." she sighed a little. "It's amazing how you can take little things like that for granted."

The dean wisely chose to hold back his own opinions as they reached the campus gates. But as the public bus arrived he warned, "You've got a clean slate now Miss Diaspro. For your own sake, I hope you don't waste it."

The blonde haired woman turned back to face him, carrying what little belongings she had. The old man couldn't help but notice a kind of sincerity in her eyes.

"Thank you." she said.

And without another word she disappeared amongst the boarding passengers.

* * *

"C-Crown Princess Daphne?!" the guards and workers got to attention. "What are you doing at the palace trash compactors?"

"No need to be so formal…" the princess held her hands up. "I heard that what was left of my sister's belongings…were being disposed of today."

The group began shifting and murmuring uncomfortably before one of them spoke up. "We're not throwing away anything of personal importance your highness, only stuff that's genuine…trash…I-I mean…your parents–"

"It's alright I know, Dan was it?" the young man nodded. "This is nothing official; I just…needed to look at the things myself. What were they exactly?"

"Just some boxes filled with…junk really your highness." Dan continued. "Nothing serious."

"I see…sorry, but have they–"

"They haven't been disposed yet your highness. Well most of it actually, we were just starting to before break. They're waiting in the room over there. If you like, I can–"

"That's fine Dan, I won't be too long."

The group watched their Crown Princess leave in the direction Dan pointed her to. Once she was out of earshot, they began gossiping amongst themselves.

"What is she hoping to find?" one of the workers hissed. "Wait, what was actually in those things?"

"What kind of question is that?! You're not supposed to salvage through–"

"There's nothing confidential seriously. It's all just…useless crap. No offence, Princess Bloom was so…weird…I mean who collects–"

"Enough," a senior worker cut the chatter "Just let the Crown Princess be. And no snide about the dead. For everything she was, Princess Bloom was still…royal. Alright break's over, back to workstations."

Meanwhile Daphne was lost in her sister's disposable belongings. And it was all hardly memorable.

_Why did Bloom need so many ugly black chests? _ The princess thought to herself as she opened them.

They were large, and looked of factory design, made of a metallic-plastic alloy. Of course Daphne didn't know that, but she was unfamiliar with the design of the chests to know that they were certainly not of local manufacture, possibly even from other realms in the Magical Dimension. She could only conclude they had come from Earth…

There were some small containers in a few of the boxes, all empty of course. Daphne couldn't help but feel whatever was useful in them had been emptied deliberately.

Maybe in anticipation for her sister's…

But she also couldn't think of what Bloom would have needed to store in them anyway.

She tapped her fingers on the items for a moment. Perhaps the lack of content was all that she needed. Daphne picked up a small case from inside of one of the larger chests, looking over it carefully.

There was something written on it.

"Scansio." she read curiously aloud, turning the case again.

Daphne searched the other items. The large chests had no such labels, but most of the small containers had the same name written on them in the same format, like a logo.

Of course she didn't know what it meant. Daphne was starting to worry what she was beginning to discover might mean. Her sister didn't strike her as someone who could keep serious secrets. And Bloom had never made a mention of "Scansio".

But she took comfort that it was a lead of sorts. And that was good.

* * *

For the first time in her life, Icy, scourge of the Magical Dimension, was really afraid.

"What are you doing?!" she yelled. Her screams became muffled as a couple of men gaged her with a leather-like muzzle, clamping her onto the board they had wheeled in.

Her eyes darted to the doorway of her cell. A tall woman with large rimmed reading-glasses continued to prod the corpse of the cell guard with her slick, high-heeled footwear.

At first she thought they were a bunch of villains wanting to bust her out for their own ends. She was already prepared to escape on her own.

It happened all so fast.

Before she could even react as they opened her cell, the tall woman blasted the guard's head off with her shotgun, bits of brain and spurts of blood flying everywhere. Then a man in a sleek suit came into view, shooting her with some kind of paralysing agent.

The scary man.

The rest of the intruder's group was shortly on her after that. They had her well restrained by the time her paralysis had worn off. The man in the meantime had taken leisure in unpacking something from a suitcase he had brought in, as the rest of his team finished up with her.

The man closed the suitcase, and began pulling on some gloves. "I suppose I should start with an apology." he sighed nonchalantly, strolling towards her.

"Don't drag on, we don't have all day." the tall woman jeered.

"Ignore my…assistant. Normally we would propose a partnership with someone of your…talents." he said politely, seemingly oblivious to his assistant's disdain and that of the struggling witch. "The ability to utilise the powers of frost is one thing. But do you know how many people are born with ice flowing in their veins? Very rarely, as you would imagine."

The man stopped short, looking right through her with a bored list.

Firmly restrained head to foot, Icy was trapped in every sense.

It was clear that the stranger before her didn't possess any powerful magic; he didn't feel like anything magical, anything familiar. His only certainty was that he filled her with an unutterable, mindless fear.

That was when, for the first time in her life, Icy felt the fullness of her sorry wasted life. Captured in the man's piercing eyes.

"Alas for all of us, you've wasted your abilities on petty and useless ambitions." the man coldly surmised her feelings, as if reading her thoughts. "And we don't really see the worth in taking you on board. But don't worry. You'll still be used for something...worthwhile. Your genetic tissue anyway."

Not another thought about anything crossed Icy's mind, even to vaguely register what exactly the object was the man plunged into the artery of her neck, as her awareness faded into nothingness.

* * *

"You play too much." his assistant complained, after the rest of their collection team packed up.

"Oh please. At least my fun isn't as dirty as yours." the man rolled his eyes. He exited the cell without another thought, the others followed behind.

Some silence passed before his assistant retorted, "The board did say to cut all possible loose ends. Besides, all of this will keep _everyone else _guessing."

The man glanced about at the surrounding mess of dead prison guards and inmates as they headed to the retrieval point.

"Might just make the entire Magical Dimension hysterical." he grinned, somewhat mischievously.


	4. Unhindered Intentions

**~Chapter 4: Unhindered Intentions~**

Thus her passing

Will feel in vain

Still whispers conspire

Seeped in obscurity

* * *

"The samples have been collected successfully, sir. We've also secured the sources. They are ready for storage and further examination."

A middle-aged man in black-leather attire sat in the middle of a cathedral-like room, looking at the multiple holographic screens before him, displaying various statistics and surveillance. He turned around to the communicator, flexing his cigar out of his mouth.

"Ensure the delivery goes smoothly."

"Yes sir." the hologram of the reporting person fazed out.

The man spun his chair around, facing again the holographic screens. "Bring up the latest updates on our inter-galactic operations."

The screens fazed out, fully exposing the large wall-sized window before him, revealing the expanse of dark space and distant stars outside. The serenity of the scene was hardly bothered by the low hum of the grand engines, as they silently cruised to an unknown location.

A red-haired woman stood close to the window. She was dressed in deep navy-coloured light space-combat armour with black under-garments. She turned around as the holographic screens flickered back on with the new data.

"Commander," the man breathed out a puff of smoke. "Time for you to leave. You have your orders."

The red-haired woman looked at the silent man in a long trench-coat, standing next to their leader. The two exchanged a look before the commander made a small bow to leave. As he walked away towards the exit, the woman came closer to her seated leader.

"Are you sure this is the right way to go about…things?" she asked.

"It's best that we proceed to build up our resources. You of all people should know that we can't afford a frontal assault right now. Such a move would be premature."

The woman stepped through the holographic screens. "The various realms could bolster their defences if we decide to take a break."

"We're not taking a break, Theresa." her boss narrowed his eyes. "Our actions were meant to provoke, to test and assess our…targets on a number of levels. We will continue to schedule random acts of violence to keep the Magical Dimension on edge, but you should also understand the need to prepare our own forces. When push comes to shove, our breakthrough has to be as _clean_ as we can make it."

Theresa flexed her armour, looking back out the vast window. "We may have…pulled through but I don't feel like celebrating."

"Oh, I was wondering if _that_ was getting under your skin." the man said sarcastically, putting his cigar out.

There was a pause. "Do you have confirmations…she's actually dead?" she asked.

"Are you just agitated that even as she died, she still managed to get the best of you?"

Theresa almost glared at him, but chose her next words carefully. "She was always one step ahead of us. As dead as you say she's supposed to be, we have no idea what she's done or planned against us. And she wouldn't have let herself get killed without preparing for it."

"Mnn." the man gazed at the screens. "Perhaps, but you're also forgetting one important variable."

"Which is?"

"She was running out of time."

Theresa was unconvinced, "If she was…look, wouldn't someone close to her have noticed–"

"The important thing is that the person who called herself Bloom is dead." the man dismissed her concerns. "There is nothing that she could leave behind that could possibly stand up to us. She knew that better than us."

The woman before him pondered for a moment.

"Is that why she tried to destroy all of the data when she–"

"Yes. I know we'll never be able to use that research now. But while our plans can no longer be grand, they're still plans."

"I see." Theresa walked away from her boss again towards the window.

"Fret not. Bloom was a great adversary. Even more so for her age, then again, she hardly grew up normally, I suppose. But that all means nothing now." the seated man lighted another cigar. "And it is sadly disappointing we were not really responsible for hammering the last few nails into her coffin. But as always, expect nothing."

Theresa gazed at the oblivion of outer space once more. "Of course, sir. You can count on me to look out for whatever so-called surprises she may have left behind."

"That's why I chose you. You always are paranoid enough to anticipate things I usually am too occupied to. So do not disappoint me."

* * *

There was a part that told her she needed to do this alone.

But Daphne couldn't help herself, she needed to make sure. And she'd been around Bloom's friends long enough to know this one was probably an expert she could rely on.

But as far as she and everyone else knew, Bloom hadn't really been in contact with her friends years prior to her…death. Could she really openly trust them? They weren't her friends…

But what would rumours know…

And she didn't want to draw unwanted attention. For most of her life she'd been a bodiless spirit. Daphne was convinced that the people about her would be able to deduce quite easily she was looking for answers. Yes, she needed an expert. Someone who was close to her sister would probably understand her needs without too much explanation. They were probably looking for answers on their own.

Shaking off her worries momentarily, Daphne took a deep breath before knocking on the dorm door.

"Musa, you don't need to knock. I'm alright now! I've finished packing my main computer drives, just get Timmy to–"

"Uh, Tecna it's me…Daphne."

An awkward silence descended, but it was swiftly broken with the din of shoved containers and shuffling feet. The magenta haired fairy swiftly opened the door.

"C-Crown Princess Daphne…um, hello?" she greeted.

"Um, no need for formalities. Sorry for the hassle, do you mind if I can ask you something…privately?"

"W-well of course! Ah, sorry for the mess, moving out of Alfea is more of a hassle than I thought it would be." the fairy apologised as she let the princess into her room, closing the door behind her. "I can't actually believe I'll be living back on Zenith permanently and that I…oh sorry." Tecna slowed down, biting her lips. "I'm just…sorry…sorry about Bloom and all."

"You already offered your condolences back on Domino at the official funeral ceremonies. No need to repeat things."

"I just didn't expect you'd come looking for me of all the…girls." the fairy fiddled with her fingers. "Why are you here anyway? Oh wait don't answer that, Alfea is hosting the inter-realm cultural festival this year right? It's a social call for all the leaders of the…yeah…sorry, stating the obvious. What exactly did you need help with?"

Daphne had already decided her best option was to cut to the chase. She fished out one of the containers she had managed to salvage from the palace trash compactors. "Have you ever seen Bloom with…this, or any similar black casings?"

Tecna raised her eyebrows, carefully taking the case, looking it over. "Well you probably know by now it's certainly not a fashion item, Stella would have chastised Bloom for even owning something like…this. Hmmm…"

"There's some writing on it, 'Scansio' I think is how you pronounce it. Did Bloom ever mention that?"

The fairy turned the case over to look at the writing. "Never heard of it. Princ…Daphne, where did you find this?"

Daphne hesitated for a moment, but continued regardless. "Bloom had large chests filled with these, kept at the back of her room's closet. They were all empty though when my parents came to sort out her belongings, so they just regarded them as j–"

"I'm guessing these types of containers aren't made on Domino." Tecna had set the container on her bed, and was already fishing out one of her laptops and presumably to do a search on the name.

"No."

"Mnn…" the fairy sat down on her bed, typing a few things. "Doesn't appear any other realms have anything on a 'Scansio'." she said finally. "But…maybe Earth…"

Daphne came closer, bending down from the end of the bed to look at the screen and retrieve the container. "That's what I was thinking."

"One moment, just need to connect to an Earth-based web browser and…yup. Wow…definitely of Earth origin. Not too surprised either, the material doesn't exactly look or feel environmentally friendly."

"The Ghost Company: Popular Scansio Controversies." Daphne read aloud one of the search results curiously.

Tecna shook her head. "No, no…before we go to that, we should find out what Scansio is exactly." she refined the search results. "Mnn looks like some kind of company that manufactured…medicines. Pharmaceuticals to be exact, according to their official online flier."

"What kind though? And what for?"

"Wait, let me just scroll down. Good grief, it's not very clear–"

Suddenly the door slammed open. "Tecna! One of the students said that they saw…Crown Princess Daphne!"

The two looked up; Tecna slammed the laptop down simultaneously. "M-Miss Griselda." they both stammered as they shot upright.

Before the subordinate headmistress to speak a response, Queen Marion entered the room.

"Oh Daphne, thank goodness your father and I thought…"

Daphne tried to look away and conceal the rising blush colouring her face. She was nearing her mid-thirties, but her mother always had this way of knowing what she was up to.

And it was too late.

"Daphne, how could you these are your sister's friends…"

"Um, I…really don't mind your majesty, I was also looking for…" Tecna looked away awkwardly as she earned a glare from both Griselda and the queen of Domino.

"Mother…" the mess of bundled-up emotion rising up her throat. "I need to–"

"Daphne I honestly expected better of you by now. There is nothing suspicious about your sister's death. We launched a full, cohesive inquiry and you know that." Marion gave her daughter a stern look as she opened her mouth to protest. "Now your father and I were hoping we didn't have to speak to you again about this. But when we get back to Domino we will have no choice. Now is not the time, we have to attend the festivities, they will be starting soon so come."

Daphne clenched her fists as hard as she could then let go. She began to walk out of the room, but then turned around. "It was good to see you again, Tecna."

"Oh, of course, Crown Princess, be well." the Zenithian made a small curtsy.

Daphne glanced as unemotionally as possible, but failed to hide the exasperation on her face as her mother led her out of the dorm room.

Griselda gave Tecna another hard look. "I believe you were preparing to leave Alfea?"

"Yes…but only after attending some of the festival functions when they started…"

"Then do what you have to. I would like to think you're too old for detention." and with that, Griselda slammed the door shut.

Waiting a few moments to ensure she was alone again, Tecna swiftly opened up the screen. She closed the window with Scansio's official online flier, and instead typed up the name again in the Earth-based web-browser. Several reports and opinion pieces showed up, she clicked one of the more recent ones and began to read.

For Tecna, most of it was ridiculous conspiracy theories, but there were a few paragraphs of seemingly solid information that stood out to her.

_"…While pharmaceuticals were their primary public front, it was well known that Scansio was a secretive and cohesive para-military organisation. Their ranks included mercenaries and free-lance cutthroats, but also surprisingly former high-ranking army officers and covert operatives. _

_It is even believed that Scansio had dealings with aliens, or were an alien front to infiltrate Earth's governments and establish control. Of course these are just rumours._

_Their ultimate objectives remain unknown, but after almost 80 years of operation, the company was finally openly accused of enforcing violent extremist views on its members. Other accusations included brutal disciplinary action and illegal experimentation upon its own staff, but also kidnappings, and various other corruption charges such as money laundering. Unfortunately, the absolute purpose and specifics of these supposed crimes, and even what they actually stood for, were never made public. It is even insinuated that the various world governments who then launched a global inquiry into Scansio, still don't actually have any idea what exactly they were up to or what they wanted. And it is likely no one will ever know._

_About 7 years ago the company was officially closed down, or destroyed. There are still some online fliers officially propagating Scansio but these do not indicate that the company is in fact still active. And there is also how their main factories and offices are either rubble or now owned by other companies, which seems to support that theory._

_But it is also well known that there are many puppets or small-time extremist groups, completely unconnected to the original company, use the name for their own petty, nefarious purposes…"_


End file.
